Newer Teslas also with Takata recalled airbags?

[sandpiper]

That's a bit of a dark perspective. "If money was no object..." is where you're headed, and that thinking leads to "nothing is affordable."

Simplifying it to "how much $ is a life worth" is an overly simplistic way of looking at the challenges, with likely analysis paralysis as the only outcome rather than legitimate improvements in the condition of man.

The quest for utopia can easily lead to inevitably failed (and expensive) attempts at building Escher-inspired impossibilities.

I think you've missed the point. My point is in response to somebody who asked "what's a life worth?", as though the question alone implied that $ and lives have no business in the same discussion.

I'm saying that we're already making those decisions every single day in many many ways. And society definitely assigns a $ value to a life. The fact that we're collectively rather embarrassed about it, and tend to hide those decisions away in the dark rooms where they develop engineering standards, insurance policies and health care policy doesn't make it not so.

 

[jbcarioca]

... But you need to be aware that is NOT safe to run into crap. Thousands are injured each year by airbags. And some die.

Strangely enough it is highly likely that Takata airbags in the 70 million defective cars probably saved thousands of lives.

Every once in a while, you say something I agree with. This is one. Your argument is valid.

Exactly. I don't understand why they watched this disaster pull slowly into dock for the last 36 months without a rush plan to stop producing more future recalls. Everyone in the industry knew ALL these were going to eventually need replacement...

Much of the Takata story is similar to the ancient Audi unintended acceleration story. The Audi case was driver error, but vehicles are now routinely designed to reduce the odds that short people would be less likely to mistake accelerator for brake. Probably good, in the end.
In the Takata case the airbags are as safe as any other until humidity sets in, which varies depending on humidity and type of structure. Thus, these are time and environment-based replacement parts. There's nothing wrong with taht other than the need to make a recall to accomplish it. All airbags have time and condition limits of some sort. Takata chose the cheapest route and did not establish life limits at the outset. That was Bad! if they'd done that at the outset builders could have chosen based on life-cycle cost and deferred cost of recalls.

Sadly, Takata lied to their customers and everyone else. They are paying and should continue doing so.
Ditto for VW Group, Fiat-Chrysler, Mitsubishi and others which have lied. They deserve opprobrium and high penalties. I would not have bought anything from these builders anyway, not even Bentley, Lamborghini, Bugatti or Porsche nor Maserati. Even the upcoming BEV's from them I will not trust because of their persistent lies.

 

[McRat]

Every once in a while, you say something I agree with. This is one. Your argument is valid.
...

'Even a broken watch is correct twice a day' ?